The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1887-12-30
FROM sMITHw,cks
SMlrnwIcKs. OAK, Dec. 26. 1887.

sMlrHwlcKs. D.sK., Dec. 26. 1887.
To The STAR:
1t is not the Star of the East nor
the great North Star that I wand to
speak about. but the wideawake
goahead Hor SPRINGS STAR. The hest
paper in the foot Hills. one that is
striving and working for the best in
terests OF the county, and for this part
of the great undivided territory of
Dakota. 1t is the best friend the
settler and homcseeEer have. and talks
as though it was not owned by the
big stock men, and the Lord be praised
that such is the fact. Last week it
Just about hit the mark, in its COM
mcnts Oil surveyed ..and unsurveyed
land in reply to the Buffalo Gap News.
and truly says ''Thcse arguments are
intenable, illogical and palpably an
reasonable and further on states that
the '.people of these two counties.
Fall River and Custer, have deep
sealed longing for boom, such as
swept over eastern Dakota in 1883. -
And will ask way not? What made
eastern Dakota but the big boom?
Would it not be benefit to western
Dakota to have just such boom? But
how are we going to get this part of
the country settled up? Certainly nut
by keeping the land unsurveyed. The
past two years will prove that. The
writer has talked witha large number
OF immigrants during the past year and
when they were asked to stop and look
at the land arouud here would almost
to manask '.is this township surveyed
and plattcd?'' We were obliged to
tell them that twas not. The imlni-
grant would say: mo use to look at
the land for they would not settle or
land that they could not get title to- :
so would drive on and Fall Iii Q
county would lose another settler; cne
who was looking for a home for him
self and family. We can hope for
nothing better until the land is in the
market aud opened for settlement
Survey it and it will soon fill up with
frst-class men and Fall River county
will then take her place as he farming
comfy of western Dakota. and With
her great coal beds and vast mountains
of va,iegatea sandstone and marble
with the celebrated Hot Springs thrown
in will loom up as one Of the riches
and greatest. IT is we'll known fact
that the first settlers in any new
country are not the men who became
It's farmers, and as the STAR says
"what matters 1t whether it is still
owned by the original entrymen, 50
long as ii rs owned. occupied and i'm.
proved by an industrious and frugal
class of grangers.' A man takes up
a pre-emption or homestead, plows and
breaks up few acres, aud perhaps
proves up on his claim then sells and
goes to seek fields anew. These mer
who do this are generally men who are
not farmers but Il class who think there
are millions in it hutr after a few
months or years get discouraged ane
as said before, sell out to soule; mar
who is a farmer, and who Knows how
to work the land so as to make it pay
and the greatest poiat ls here: on thu
land this man has bought he will fint
a few acres broken already to work
and other improvements and this is th'
reason why he bought the claim, thai
was the inducement; someone else hat
made tine start. The same land with
ont these improvements would hav,
been almost worthless in his eyes. HI
| wanted someone else to make thes